Georges St-Pierre dominated challenger Josh Koscheck and retained the UFC welterweight title with a unanimous decision in the UFC 124 main event on Saturday at the Bell Centre in his native Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
St-Pierre relied on a strong jab early to close Koscheck’s eye in the opening round and didn’t let up, battering his rival TUF 12 coach with punches and leg kicks over the 25-minute fight while mixing in a few takedowns and avoiding serious damage to cruise to a shutout decision.
GSP improves to 21-2 with his eighth-straight win, while Koscheck falls to 15-5 after seeing his three-fight win streak snapped.
Heavyweight Stefan Struve scored a first-round TKO of Sean McCorkle in UFC 124′s co-main event, surviving an early kimura before reversing into full mount and raining down punches to earn the opening round stoppage.
In other action on UFC 124′s pay-per-view main card, Jim Miller submitted up-and-comer Charles Oliveira in the opening round to move closer to a lightweight title shot, Mac Danzig stayed alive with a first-round knockout of Joe Stevenson, and Thiago Alves returned to form with a dominant decision over John Howard.
The complete results for UFC 124 were:
MAIN CARD
- Champ Georges St-Pierre def. Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
UFC Welterweight Championship - Stefan Struve def. Sean McCorkle via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:55
- Jim Miller def. Charles Oliveira via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:59
- Mac Danzig def. Joe Stevenson via KO (punch) – Round 1, 1:54
- Thiago Alves def. John Howard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Dan Miller def. Joe Doerksen via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Mark Bocek def. Dustin Hazelett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:33
- Rafael Natal vs. Jesse Bongfeldt – majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-28 Natal)
- Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ricardo Almeida def. TJ Grant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
MORE: UFC 124 coverage, Georges St. Pierre UFC 124 shirt, Josh Koscheck UFC 124 shirt
Pictured: Georges St-Pierre
Latest
woohoo
Owenage….straight owenage :) Gsp is the man!
Koscheck took a dive! ;D Im sure nobody will be saying that this time around. Not only that, there was no way the judges could of got this wrong. Props Jazz.
Well… jab, jab, jab,jab, jabjabjabjab for 25 minutes… and GSP made Koscheck into a cyclops.
So, not only is GSP the lb4lb best fighter in the world, he’s also a sorcerer. The latter also explains the former ;)
*like*
Greatness becomes greatness.
Did not think miller would sub charles neither that danzig would ko daddy!!!
Great night of fight!!
Those jabs were ficous…..still props for KOS and fighting with one eye and a full 100% heart.
I thought gsp was a lay n prayer,not bad for a blanket.
You thought wrong my friend.. he plays towards his opponents weaknesses, and in this case it was definatly the stand up
agreed top lb 4 lb. Kos, hate to see what you look like tomorrow. hopefully you were humbled. I’ll give him credit, he’s pretty tough, thought he’d quit after round 3. have fun climbing that ladder again.
goerge is PURE CLASS, represents the sport and his country beautifully.
WOW!! Excellent display of well roundedness and total domination by GSP! I don’t know, maybe Joe’s right and he should move up to 185 sometime in the near future.
Now all the talk about GSP not being able to stand up can be put to rest once and for all!! Waiting for jcohl to weigh now, as soon as he comes down from cloud 9………
Oh yea and I’m glad to see Danzig take home such a big win. Everyone on my facebook told me I was nuts when I called that!
btw, congrats to all the winners tonight. thought everyone who won deserved to win, especially Struve. Danzig, way to go man, I’m a huge fan of his. Beautiful left hook, looked like Mayweather on Hatton.
GSP out classed Kos. Even with 2 eyes Kos wont get a chance. Now time to see what is in GSP’s plate for next!
It was good night of fights even though I b1tched about lack of star power.
Oh I forgot, he is fighting Jake Shield next……
Oh good.
GSP unveiled his improved stand-up just in time to possibly take on a challenger in Jake Shields that is about as dangerous on his feet as I am…
;-)
If Jake can avoid those strikes then he has good chance. Look at this scenario, Kos was able to put GSP on his back so why not Jake can’t, when Jake is so one dimentional blanket. So all Jake have to do is wear GSP even before the ring bells.
GSP is simply the best MMA fighter on the planet.
A lot of us having been saying it for some time now, and once again the Greatness backed us up…
;-)
Fully agree, and I think GSP has showed his stand up before, some people just have short memories.
“best MMA fighter on the planet”?
If only he’d finish once in a while.
He did dominate, in the true sense of the word.
But, of course this is my opinion.
The GSP p4p kool-aid doesn’t have enough sugar.
First of all, congrats to gsp. However, To compare him as the best p4p fighter in the world (ok I’m gonna go Silva), a couple of things stick out.
-The last person Gsp finished by ko or submission is the same fighter. ( Matt Hughes)
-Gsp has never submitted anybody from his back
-Gsp has never fought out of one weight class
Don’t get me wrong, Gsp is the best 170 pound fighter in the world but is not the best Anderson silva is.
not one mention of how gsp said he was gonna finish…..and didn’t. So why does he still have the nickname “Rush”. He is the decision king. How about “The Dominating Decision king”. That would be perfect for him.
Actually they nicknmamed him rush because he’s a quick starter. And if GSP and Anderson were to throw down tomorrow, GSP would win. He would do the same thing to Silva that Chael did only anderson wouldn’t get lucky with 2 mins left and catch him like that. Submission are not GSP’s Achilles heal, but wrestling is Anderson’s.
The last person GSP finished was BJ Penn (made him quit) and Serra by TKO 2 fights prior. That’s two finishes after Matt Hughes.
@ Canadian Bacon
Here is a quote from Dana White post UFC 124:
“This is a guy who’s wiped out the 185-pound division,” White said. “He really has. Not only has he wiped out a division, he beat a couple of guys at 205. That’s why this whole debate over pound-for-pound … I love Georges St. Pierre. He’s awesome, he’s a superstar and everything else. But he lost not too long ago to Matt Serra by knockout. [Anderson] has never lost in the UFC, and he’s moved up a weight class and beat two f—ing tough guys at that weight.”
I still agree w you & Dana on this one
@ All Super Fight advocates:
I want to see the super fight as bad as everyone else but the reality we face is that Silva has to beat Vitor & GSP has to beat Shields for it to really even be considered..another issue is an older Anderson Silva would have to make a weight lower than 185
i hate how people always mention how the last person he finished was matt hughes…. do you guys completely disregard his win over BJ penn where he made BJ penn give up…
i think thats more significant, and should count as a fight finish…
this isalso something that silva hasnt done… he has never broke a person and made them give up due to ” power over whelming “
GSP is a great fighter and a true martial artist (which is even more of an accomplishment in life…if you ask me). However, the best MMA fighter on the planet seems a little carried away by the moment, Jcohl. I understand you may be emotional but objectively one cant compare fighters of truly different weight classes with any sort of certainty. There is talk of GSP fighting Anderson Silva. I don’t see it. Anderson Silva is just a much larger fighter. Making a weight for a fight is not exactly a true reflection of competitive balance. GSP has to bulk up and Anderson Silva has to cut down. GSP may have to leave his own weight class behind for good since it is hard to cut back down easily after “growing”. Silva is a large framed guy for 205 and that is his best weight class and there is a lot of good competition there. Heck give Bones Jones a shot. GSP? Again he is a great fighter but I don’t see him beating Anderson Silva at any catchweight either. They should just stay in their classes. I think when guys reach a little too much to move up or down in weight class they often are not the same…and that is in boxing! In MMA it is even more difficult to be competitive at different weight classes because you expend even more energy in the ground fighting and clinches
I concur with chromie about Mac Danzig; indeed, seeing him KO Stevenson was a welcome surprise. Looks like he has developed another tool in his arsenal.
Alves completely outclased Howard in their fight. This was important for him, now they can kill all that noise about graduating to 185 once and for all.
As for St. Pierre, what else is there to say? I still think it should be Anderson Silva v. St. Pierre at UFC 131 in T.O. No catchweight, GSP should challege for the middlewight belt.
Much respect for Mac Danzig, who I thought to be Bellator-bound after tonight…
The “185-bound” talk will continue with Alves until he stops missing weight every few fights. Until that happens, he has to at least consider 185.
I’m going to raise the bar here – GSP is not only the best p4p fighter on the planet, he will go down as the best mixed martial artist to ever compete in the octagon (until the next Tiger Woods of future MMA generations surfaces).
Tonight’s main event was the most dominant championship decision I have ever witnessed. Also, the face of Kos was the most beat up I have ever seen in an MMA fight. I’m not talking cuts, just pure punishment.
I dare anyone to disagree with the following:
GSP proved he is the unquestionable best fighter on the planet tonight. He is the most dominan fighter top to bottom in his own division – thanks to Sonnen’s 23.5 minute beating of Silva. He is the most evolved fighter ever. He was well rounded before – then he became the best wrestler at 170, then he got his BJJ black belt, then he comes out tonight and destroys his opponent with his boxing. Joe Rogan was right – tonight’s use of the left jab will chage the MMA game forever. It will set a bar for the best of the best, & those who want to compete on the highest level will need to have world-class attributes in ALL areas. GSP is the only one who can currently claim that in striking, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, footwork, cardio, game-plan execution, and now technical boxing.
^ Because of what u said you are now my boy for life. Nicely put man! Yet another domination where Gsp leaves the top contender looking like a zombie while he walks away without a scratch on him
GSP has dominated Matt Serra and AKA teammates Koscheck and Fitch with striking, Dan Hardy and Matt Hughes with Bjj, and Thiago Alves with wrestling.
Against former champions Sean Sherk and BJ Penn GSP used a little bit of everything to win, and beat Penn so relentlessly his brother had to wave GSP off after 20 minutes.
The man has lost 2 fights in 8 years, and just 1 in the last 6.
He’s beaten his opponents pretty much every way possible, and made some MMA fans that disrespect him, particularly at this site, look stupid in the process.
Not sure whats left for the Greatness post 124.
Throwing Jake Shields a beating?
Challenging Anderson Silva at 185?
A run at a spot of the Canadian Olympic wrestling team?
Maybe all of the above?
if he’s going to make a run ant Canada’s team for London… it’s too late…
@chrisl -
Oh good.
With London off the table, now GSP can dial in on A Silva…
;-)
I’ll be talking about that in a post tomorrow, but don’t bet on that happening either.
I hope all of the above jcohl. But how long is it gonna take for him to do everything he said he wanted to do concerning weight to move up to 185?
Last night at the press conference, he said he wants to take his time and gain the muscle properly because if he moves up to 185, he’s staying there. I was just wondering, how long will that take?
Great fights tonight! Congrats to all the fighters on the card.
I actually like the idea of a possible catchweight fight for GSP vs A. Silva. It would give Georges a chance to put on half that weight, and plus Anderson used to fight at the lower weight class anyway if my memory serves me correctly.
A Silva is too big to try to cut below 185, I think it’ll have to be 185 or nothing.
@newfie -
Also, now that GSP has proved his point at 170, his longterm plans HAVE to include some 185 fights.
If he’s going to try and join the Penn-Hendo-Couture club, he’s going to have to start working towards 185 anyway, so it makes sense to challenge Anderson Silva at that weight…
Has Koscheck finally stopped talking yet?
Good to see GSP pound that
puffy-haired moronfor 25m, it’s only a shame his lips weren’t swollen shut as well.No bashing. -BSBiz
In the words of the great jchol…..”Now thats funny!”
Oh c’mon BSBiz, that wasn’t bashing, it was actually a compliment for Kos ;).. and why is puffy-haired crossed out?! It’s true! He looks like he’s got a yellow brillo pad on his head…
It may be true, but it’s still inappropriate.
Where does Koscheck go from here? He’s not getting another title shot at least not while GSP is champ. Does he move up?
I think Koscheck should fight Alves.
@jcohl
Well said dude. At ww all that’s left is shields. After he dismantles shields id like to see him fight @ mw. Buy I’m interested in why chrisl says that might not happen. As for koscheck…maybe an epic $hit talking contest between him and hardy? That would be the grudge match of the year! Koscheck would do him like he did Daley though.
Perhaps there’s unique window that hasn’t been tried yet.
obviously there is no easy way to do any of that and i’m not taking anything away from one of of my fav fighters and the last gentleman . just let’s not forget everyones beatable – and the GSP is GOD stuff gets boring. besides DANA’s god and there can be only one.
FITCH FITCH FITCH, go FITCH.
close in, uppercuts
of course none of that applies to sheilds as he’s a whole different animal. that his only chance will be to keep GSP down the whole time sort of of like he did to dehydrated hendo. hmmm. probably not gonna happen
12 hours later…
After having some time to reflect on the wild success of the shrimp creole burrito, my hangover and what dropped at 124, I have the following thoughts:
- GSP has beaten and dominated almost everyone he’s faced in the last 6 years using every facet of MMA. He’s knocked people out, he’s tapped people out, and he’s taken people out to the deep deep water of 4th and 5th rounds and decisoned them.
He’s trained with great striking coaches, great wrestling coaches, and great Bjj coaches. He’s trained at home and abroad. He’s one of the finest ambassadors for both the UFC and the sport, as well as being one of the biggest draws.
GSP has even shined on TUF.
If ANY MMA fan still isn’t “impressed with GSP”, then I strongle suggest you score a copy of Undisputed and play him yourself.
;-)
- Much respect to Josh Koscheck, like his AKA teammate Jon Fitch, for taking a 25 minute shellacking like a man.
- Other than Jake Shields, I’m not sure who is left at 170 in either the UFC or the sport to REASONABLY challenge GSP.
Sure, there are guys who will always talk sh!t, and guys like BJ Penn and Nick Diaz who might IMAGINE they have any business being in the Octagon with GSP, but they do not.
Not even remotely.
So whats next for the Greatness?
As chrisl posts he’s missed his Olympic “window”, and the long-discussed superfight with Anderson Silva seems almost pointless.
Why would A Silva sign a fight with GSP when he can fight out his distinguished career against Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami, and maybe Chael Sonnen?
Also, GSP wants to go to 185 the right way, and not make an a$$ of himself. Thats going to take time, and the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that by the time GSP is ready for a 185 title shot, Anderson Silva will be playing with his kids on a Brazilian beach somewhere not caring about his weight or his training or his legacy, as he’ll have probably retired with his belt.
- Finally, as for comparison with Anderson Silva, its really this simple:
Those that believe he’s the best MMA fighter in the world are using the same mindframe that Fedor’s supporter’s did before his shocking loss to Fabricio Werdum.
“He hasn’t lost” doesn’t mean what it used to in a sport thats always evolving.
Those A Silva supporters out there make a fine case for their boy being the best.
Those of us that think GSP is the king do the same.
In the final analysis Anderson Silva keeps getting older, and each of his successive performances get less impressive. He embarrassed himself against Demian Maia and Tahles Leites, looked sketchy against Patrick Cote, and got mauled by Chael Sonnen. Snipering Forrest Griffin at 205 doesn’t make those 185 underperformances go away, Dana White’s biased POV notwithstanding.
GSP on the other hand just keeps getting better, and each of his performances become more impressive when viewed thru the PROPER lens of MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, and not the window-licker credo of, “uhhhh…where da finish be at?”
If you want fight to have YouTube’able tap outs and knock outs, go to your local Whup Dat Azz fight club, score a seat on the bleachers and watch your neighborhood cop throwdown against the strip club bouncer/personal trainer tool your gf is probably cheating on you with.
At the UFC level of MMA, eye-popping and jaw-dropping finishes shouldn’t be expected or even demanded by a largely non-sports combatant fanbase.
These are the finest MMA fighters on the planet, so lets quit asking for results from some Monte Cox truckstop human co<kfight, ok?
Much obliged…
“Anderson Silva keeps getting older, and each of his successive performances get less impressive.”
And GSP is in his PRIME and and has NOT made anyone jump out their seat(see impressive), nor make the ref jump in, for a long time.
“GSP hasn’t made anyone jump out of their seat?!”
Seriously?
Did you not watch the 124 main event?
LOL.
Look, I’m cool with fighter-fanboyishness, but denying the obvious seems sort of counter-productive, n’est ce pas?
I agree after tonight the best p4p currently is GSP .
The over all (not P4P) best fighter is Valasquez or Fedor …… And before everyone says what about Werdum the WorldBeater ….. he was a fluke and even he knows it ,thats why he wants to move on instead of rematching Fedor ASAP .
But again GSP is the best WW/P4P on the planet by far …… cant see anything for him at this stage of the game except to move up . haha Maybe have a wanderlei vs GSP match ……
Does anyone know what prelim fight caused all the blood on the mat? A bloody mat always is a good sign that the oncoming fights are going to be good…which they surprisingly were considering the star power wasn’t too high.
The best fights are usually the ones without the names attached.
kampmann deserves a a shot at gsp. (los or no loss)
if we see shields present a challenge to gsp we’ll suddenly remember the highly competitive kamp vs shields fight, and the close decision, and remember it’s all about match ups. i rate gsp # 1 but think he’s being treated like a demigod.
GSP IS A GREAT FIGHTER BUT NOT IN THE LEAGUE OF SILVA. TOO FAST,STRONG & ACCURATE SILVA WOULD WIN EASILY..(ANY DOUBTS SEE WHAT HE DID TO FORREST GRIFFIN)!!
Unfortunately not only are you mistaken, mon ami, but you’re mistaken in CAPS.
LOL…
@jcohl
do you like or dislike fights that end by first round ko? Anderson has first round knock outs on his resume…..Gsp doesn’t.
the last fight gsp ended in the first round was what, Frank trigg?
@ Corey
You are 100% correct. thank you sir.
Hey. I like Gsp too and I’m not harping on the guy. BUT he does have blemishes on his record. These blemishes get ignored because everbody hates Anderson so much.
@Canadian Bacon -
You know what impresses me more than a first round T/KO?
Seeing an MMA fighter seamlessly transition thru the various aspects of MMA, and train his a$$ off to make sure his striking and submissions and wrestling and defense for each are at the highest overall level yet seen in the sport.
Then seeing that fighter become a champion and use his insanely full and balanced toolbox to dominate and defeat challengers in the vertical plane and on the mat.
THATS what impresses me, and not snipering a troubled James Irvin or refusing to engage with guys like Thales Leites and/or Demian Maia…
And if you have any doubts about what you just said being the exact opposite of the truth, just see wha Chael did to Anderson in August. Gsp would do the same but Anderson wouldn’t get lucky and catch him in the last 2 min submissions are not GSP’s Achilles heal, but wrestling is Anderson’s.
We’ve already seen proof that Anderson is akin to a fish flopping around out of it’s bowl when put on his back, the only difference is GSP would actually keep him down and not get caught.
Some people didn’t like the large amount of support I gave GSP and all the posts I posted on the weigh-ins, and I’m sorry about that. What I was mainly getting at was how GSP was going to dominate Kos, which happened and will continue to happen. At least I don’t have to eat all of those words, that would of given me one soar gut. Enjoy eating all your words @Glen The Boss Coppin. ;)